Corps Changes Course: No Spillway Openings Planned at Lake Hartwell
Docks in Gumlog Cove on Lake Hartwell swamped by recent heavy rainfall and rising lake level.
Officials with the Lake Hartwell Project Office now say the spillways at Lake Hartwell will likely not have to be opened.
The Corps announced last week all three dam spillways at Thurmond, Russell and Hartwell Lakes would be opened, but Thursday, Hartwell Lake office Chief Ranger Zach Harkness said Lake Thurmond is still too high to open the spillways further up stream.
“We are not currently planning to open the spillway gates,” Harkness said. “We are planning to lower the lake gradually just through generation. We’re trying to work through it as a system.”
Harkness said with the rain expected this weekend that could change, but he said if the Lake reaches the 665 ft msl tipping point, the Corps will likely try to bring the level down by generating more power.
Meantime, Corps spokesman Russ Wicke with the Corps Savannah office says they plan to close the spillways at Thurmond Lake next week because the lake has now gone down about four feet.
“We’ve still got the gates open about six inches, and we’re releasing water at a rate of about 45,000 cubic feet per second. We’re scheduled to have that release rate until about Monday when we anticipate closing the gates, assuming we don’t get a lot of rain this weekend,” Wicke said. “Then once we close the gates, we will transition the release down to about 32,000 cubic feet per second.”
Spokesperson Sandy Campbell in the Hartwell Lake office said once Thurmond is down to where it should be, then Russell and Hartwell Lakes will begin releasing more water.
That, she says, should happen later this month.
“If current trends continue, it looks like about the weekend of January 22nd,” Campbell said. “That’s where we should really be able to have moved most of the water out of the system. After that, then we can start concentrating on evacuating water out Hartwell. And or preferred method of release is through power generation and not open the floodgates.”
Meantime, many people living on Lake Hartwell have had their docks swamped by the high water level.
Harkness recommends dock owners and anyone going out on the lake to fish take extra safety precautions.
“We always preach water safety whether you’re boating or swimming or going out to your dock,” he said. “Some of the issues with docks that are swamped is power. Folks need to be awfully careful with the power that’s connected to the dock. There should be a GFI outlet on the power pole by your dock. For the folks going out on the water you’re going to encounter a lot more debris and things like that. So they need to use extra caution while they’re out there.”
And of course, remember to wear your life jacket anytime you go into the water.
Harkness said so far they have not had incidents on the lake related to the high water levels.
Meantime, he said some of the boat ramps around the lake have been impacted by the high water levels, but he said the winter campgrounds, Watsadler and Twin Lakes have remained open.